The Wileys' Blog

Parliamentarian

2007-04-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

This morning I took a test to become a parliamentarian, and passed it! The reason I have been working on this is that I attend so many meetings that attempt to use parliamentary procedure, but waste a lot of time because people don't know what that procedure is. The test was 100 questions, and I had 300 questions to study. I could relate many of the questions to situations I have experienced in meetings where the procedure was not followed. We had three workshops at this Parliamentarian conference at the Highlander near the Manchester airport. One workshop was on how to prepare an agenda. Another was on making evaluation forms. The third was on rescinding a past action. We also had a panel of experts that we could ask questions of. One person on the panel lives in Merrimack. Small world.

Community Church of Hudson

2007-04-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

On March 18 I preached at the Community Church of Hudson, which was looking for an Interim Minister. It was love at first sight for both the church and me. The Deacons moved quickly to put together the Terms of Call, and I began my term as pastor on April 1. It is a 35 minute commute, (less than the 45 minutes to Tilton where I pastored for 3 years). The church building is HUGE! We could re-locate an African tribe, and still have room to spare. There is a Thrift Store in the church, run by the Women's Fellowship. I am thinking about re-doing my wardrobe with the goodies displayed there. So far it has been more the recipient than the seller -- everyone we know wants to clean out their closets and have us take clothes to it!
I preached my first sermon as pastor on Easter. There were 93 people, 25 of them were children and young people, 3 were seminarians, and our daughter, Loralee and son-in-law, Aaron came too! We now have a Children's Message and Youth message built into the service. There are many middle school students, and I look forward to spending time with them.
It is a joy to be back in the church pastoring after an 8-month break!
I continue to teach my course in Human Growth at St. Anselm, 24 freshmen in nursing, all female, and very lovable. I am also doing recruitment and training for Child Care Resource & Referral at Easter Seals. So if you are wondering why I haven't called you....

Latest Wiley News

2007-04-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

Everything has happened quite fast, and I just haven't been able to keep up with this blog site. But here is our update:

MY FATHER came home from the hospital after having a bleeding ulcer mid-February, but then had a stroke, so went back, and has been in the hospital, rehab, and skilled nursing until Friday, April 13. It has been hard to see him stripped of his dignity, unable to talk, and reduced to the level of an 18 month old. There is always the feeling that we should spend more time with him, and every spare minute is either spent with him or feeling guilty for not being with him. Due to his health, we are not planning any mission trips in the near future.

MISSIONS: We have had the joy of presenting the story of our trip to the Czech Republic at 3 churches.

We led worship at Campton Congregational Church in northern New Hampshire, and were pleasantly surprised to find my brother-in-law's brother is a member of the congregation! Needless to say, we had to go out to lunch and catch up on family news.

Our second presentation was at a Missions Night in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Yes, right next to Plimoth Plantation and the Mayflower. We felt like we should have worn Pilgrim costumes! It was a fun evening. We brought things from Prague, and handed them out to the people there, asking them to guess what each was!

Our third presentation was in East Freetown on Sunday morning. It is a beautiful chapel,
and the pastor is a DEAR friend, so we made many new friends there, and were treated to
breakfast/lunch afterwards!

News for February 25, 2007

2007-02-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

My father went in the hospital last Saturday, after having stomach cramps on a daily basis for two weeks. The doctors found an ulcer in his stomach and were able to go in with a scope to fix it. Because he is 86 years old (87 in May), he has developed complications. His mind is quite confused so one of us is staying with him 24/7. My sister Cheryl came up from Rhode Island and has spent two nights at the hospital, my other sister, Lorraine has also done two nights, as has my brother, Earl. I am glad we are here in New Hampshire to support each other, and give my father the loving care he deserves. He continues to maintain his humor and positive outlook. To one of the nurses he said, "You must be an artist." She replied, "No, I am NOT an artist." My father said, "Yes, you are. You draw blood!"

We met as a family yesterday to discuss his care when he is released from the hospital.

I have met with the Vice President for International Education at Southern New Hampshire University to discuss a collaborative program with UNYP, the University where I taught in Prague. At this time everything is on hold due to my father's condition. Thank you for your prayers.

Next trip to Prague

2007-02-14T16:28:00.000-08:00

I met with the president of a local university on Monday, and brought him a proposal for a joint venture with UNYP. He was very open to it. I am meeting with the Director of International Programs at the same university tomorrow. Please pray for this appointment. My proposal is to teach a three weekend course in Prague, so we could go back for three to four weeks, and follow up with students, faculty, and contacts we made in the Fall. Thank you for your interest and support.

Greetings from students in Prague

2007-02-14T16:26:00.000-08:00

I thought you might like to read some of the e-mail messages I have received.

Hello Dr. Wiley,
Now that the course is officially over I wanted to say thank you very much for teaching us. It was very interesting and I feel I learned a lot. I hope that you are well and having fun. I hope that we will see you again. I graduate in June (I hope). Anyway, keep in touch, my email address won't change. If you need anything that I could help you with, let me know. Say hello to your family,
J

Hello.
My semester break is busy - right now I am working on an English-into-Czech translation
and I also have my job to put up with. But it's a little better now when there are no
classes to attend. I've only got one exam left so I think I'll get on. It's nice that you
asked. Ok, that's about it. I hope you're having good time home. I wish you good luck with your future classes (or current ones if they have started). Also please say hello to your son and good luck with his shooting...
Bye bye,
M

Hi Dr. Wiley,
How are you? Thank you very much for the e-mail; my semester break has been
going well. :) Take care, and thanks again for everything!
L

Hi, I hope you will be able to come to Prague again soon. Best regards, A

Thank you very much, it was a pleasure taking your class. I wish you all the best, we will miss you here at UNYP. Take care, thank you for everything.
Fondly, Z

Hi
Everything is fine and I am glad that you come to prague and have experience with european students:)) It was nice from you that you invited us for Thanks giving day to your flat (I was very surprised in a positeve way and I just want to say: thank you for everything :)
M

Hello Dr. Wiley,
Here is my final exam. Thank you for everything!
Sincerely,
L

Week of January 21

2007-01-27T16:55:00.000-08:00

Last week and this week I read final exams and computed final grades for my course at the University of New York in Prague. I sent the final grade to each student, with an explanation of what assignments were missing. They were to e-mail me if my information was inaccurate, and sure enough, I had forgotten to record the grade of one student's assignment. I am just glad to catch it before sending grades to the registrar.

All exams came through fine with the exception of one. I suggested that the student whose exam did not come via e-mail, hand deliver the exam to me here in New Hampshire, and spend semester break with us! He said his plans had been made, but maybe another time! It turned out he had written his paper on a Mac and forgot to hit the button that allows it to be read by a PC. So we straightened that out.

Today I mailed off another package to the students at CISP, the middle school students Lloyd and I taught. We had worked on Proverbs, and I have made it into a booklet. I sent one to each of them with a personal note. Also to the other teachers. Sending mail internationally takes time at the post office!

Jose got an apartment in Boston on Monday afternoon. He had spent many, many hours searching Craigslist, and got quite a few possibilities,-- enough to decline living in the dorm (which cost $3000 more)-- but by the time he got down to Boston to look at the apartments, they were taken. People would say to him, "PLease come in the next 45 minutes"... and he just couldn't do that from here.

So classes started on Monday morning at 9:00, and he had no place to live. He stayed in a hostel the night before, sleeping in the same room with 3 total strangers, cell phone tucked under the covers next to his hand!

After class on Monday he was able to go right to the apartments that had openings, and found an excellent one, so he moved right in. Lloyd took a truck load of furniture on Tuesday, and Jose came home Wednesday to get the rest of his things. He drove his tracker down and has parked it outside his apartment window. We will probably bring it home when we go to Congress this next week. Anyhow, last Sunday was VERY STRESSFUL knowing classes were the next day and he had no place to live, and we are very thankful that he is now settled in for his last semester of undergraduate work. He is even glad to be back at Mass Art, and didn't think he would ever say that! God is good!

Week of January 16

2007-01-16T09:08:00.000-08:00

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, I read my Equality Depot catalogue! God bless equality!

Students at UNYP continue to e-mail me many times a day. Last week they were expected to visit a treatment center for people with mental disorders. I always like to take students on a field trip, but with my language barrier, could not do so in the Czech Republic. Students were encouraged to go to a facility near their home where they could communicate in their primary language. I have received most of the assessments of these field trips, and they were interesting. For the most part, the students think the mental health facilities in the Czech Republic are inadequate. One question students had to answer was: Would you place a friend or relative in this facility? Most answered No. Another question was, Would you want to work in this facility after you graduate from college? Many wrote that after having seen this place, they no longer want a career in mental health! I am so sorry for the fall out from this reality check!

Their final exams are due Thursday. Please pray that they will not be stressed but will do well.

We received an e-mail from a parent of a child at the Christian School where Lloyd and I taught in Prague. The school had received serious terrorism threats, and had to cancel classes. We pray that the students will be kept safe, and that their faith will be strengthened through this scary experience.

Today I finished a final edit of the Book of Proverbs that these students worked on with me. I hope to mail you a copy. I am now working on a "secular" book of Proverbs for those who are not people of faith but can benefit from the wisdom of this great book.

Today is the first day of classes at St. Anselm. My class is Tuesday and Thursday at 4:00. I thanked God many times throughout the night for a late afternoon class. Our property is covered with ice. The white birches are bowed to the ground. Lloyd saw and smelled burning of wires when he went out to get the mail yesterday, and there were pops throughout the evening from trees or transformers blowing up. At 2:00 A.M. there was a curious blaze in the sky, and my sister tells me that her husband (an EMT), and son-in-law (state trooper) were in and out all night dealing with trees down. We are thankful to be home where we can keep a watchful eye on things.

Jose's first class is Friday afternoon. He still hasn't finalized an apartment, but has his driver's license and tracker, so will be commuting for a few days. We pray for his safety and the right place in Boston for him to live near Mass Art.

Work in Prague Continues

2007-01-09T14:16:00.000-08:00

Even though we are back in New Hampshire, I am getting daily messages from my UNYP students in Prague. I received the first batch of student papers via e-mail. My new skill as instructor is to correct papers on the computer! This means I used the red button at the bottom of the screen, and put my comments in red. I don't yet know how to cross things out, so put them in brackets. Because English is not their primary language, the students had varying degrees of success with a formal paper. This is the only assignment throughout the course where I am grading them on spelling and grammar as well as content. After correcting the paper, I saved it and sent it back as an attachment. One student did not receive hers back from me, and I did not receive a paper sent by another student, but we worked it out. Glitches on the web!

I had forgotten how stressed students get toward the end of the semester, and how much hand-holding has to be done. I might sit in the Faculty Room all semester waiting for students to show up during my office hours, and no one came. BUT that changes at the end of the semester. My Gordon students were the worst. They kept coming in my office during the last week of the semester and bursting into tears. It might be over an A-!!! So please pray that my UNYP students will not suffer from a lack of face-to-face contact these last three weeks. I plan to call them. Lloyd found that if you dial 10-10-9-8-7 before dialing the number, the call is not very expensive.

I went to Southern New Hampshire University today and talked with Sheila in the International Education office, a brand new office set up in September. They did not have UNYP on their list, but we began talking about things we could do across continents. Thank you for your prayers about future projects.

Telling the Story

2006-12-31T14:23:00.000-08:00

Today we worshiped at Gilmanton Community Church where we have standing/membership. It was a joy to be with familiar faces and worship in familiar ways, and we brought greetings from Prague.

We had our first snow yesterday, and it changed our world! Everything is more beautiful now: white birches, blue sky, even the swamp is a lovely white.

I have finished reading BLUE LIKE JAZZ by Donald Miller, a Christmas gift from our daughter. It is an interesting book. I wonder how my UNYP students would respond to it. It would be fun for a book group. Part of the reason it was so interesting is because the writer lives in Portland Oregon and almost all geographical references are to Oregon, the State we lived in for 6 months this year.

I also finished reading the Bible through today, slugging through the Old Testament histories at the end of the year. I have written two liturgies on our Global God, one from Psalms and the other from Isaiah.

It is New Year's Eve. What will 2007 bring?

Post Christmas

2006-12-28T17:41:00.000-08:00

We watched the sun rise this morning at 7:45 A.M., and it is dark by 4:30 P.M. (16:30). I thought about the important people in our lives -- those on the West Coast still asleep, those in Europe where it is already afternoon. A special prayer for the VonDohlens who are flying back from Prague to Hickory today, Dick will be teaching at Lenoir-Ryne starting next week.

One of my UNYP students has e-mailed me that she is coming to Stamford Connecticut on February 1. She is going to be a nanny while she looks into forensic psychology in New York City. I am so excited to see her!

Students are beginning to send their assignments via e-mail.

I am still unpacking, a little every day. There is a huge stack of papers to put back in the proper folders for next semester when I will be teaching Human Development at St. Anselm's College.

I continue to work on my "Proverbs" book, started with the Middle School students at CISP.

Comforts of Home

2006-12-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

This expression has new meaning as we reach for diet gingerale (not found anywhere else!), non-fat sweetened creamer for coffee, and unpack clothes put in storage. What comforts did Jesus leave behind when he came to earth?

Yesterday my side of the family met at the home where we grew up, for a Christmas breakfast. Some were not there -- in San Diego, Albuquerque, Israel, etc. but 23 of us, including 11 young adults in college or working, had a delicious catered breakfast, courtesy of my brother, Earl.

Our nephew Doug works at Price, Waterhouse, and Cooper in Boston, so we recruited him for the Prague office near our apartment. Others said they would like to come visit if we were going to be there longer.

We missed Mom, but are so blessed to still have Dad with us.

Lloyd did a two-hour stint of bell ringing for the Salvation Army at the Bedford Mall yesterday evening. Lance and I took turns standing with him, wishing people a cheery Merry Christmas, ringing the bell, and thanking them for their gifts. There was a steady stream of people giving, and we had to keep pushing the money down, using a ruler in the slot. We wondered what Czechs would think of these greetings between strangers, and the obvious good will of everyone as we talked and collected the money.

I received a very nice e-mail from one of my students. I miss them.

I went to a living Nativity here in Bedford. "Mary" and "Joseph" walked with a donkey down the street, stopped at an "inn" and then went to a barn. There were probably a thousand people walking along behind them, including many children.

Christmas in New Hampshire

2006-12-23T11:50:00.000-08:00

On Friday evening Lloyd's family came to our house. We had brought them presents in Prague, and it was fun to explain each one. We are blessed with two new members of the family since two of Lloyd's nephews got married this year. One bride is Roman Catholic and the other Jewish, so we began our festivities with their lighting the Advent and Hanukkah candles, complete with Jewish prayer. That was really special. We gave Sarah a miniature Golem and told her about the Prague Golem stories. We had an Infant Jesus for Amy, and pictures to show her of the many Catholic churches.

The highlight of the evening was caused by our daughter's spurt of domesticity. She was making an artichoke dip that called for chilli peppers, and accidentally bought VERY HOT jalapeno peppers instead. While chopping them her hands began to sting, and continued to do so for the next 12 hours! Each guest had a different remedy, so she tried milk, butter, cortisone cream, witch hazel, water, ice cubes, oil, aleve, and probably a few more. She even called Dial-a-Nurse, and nothing seemed to stop the stinging. We will remember this Christmas as the one when Loralee's hands were on fire.

I am reading Deuteronomy and Joshua to complete my Bible-in-a-year. These two books are excellent for missionaries. Maybe I'll write a study guide for IICS.

No snow in New England, but lots of rain. Temperatures in the 40s.

December 21 33rd Wedding Anniversary

2006-12-22T05:14:00.000-08:00

Today is our 33rd wedding anniversary. We have been apart 3.5 months this year, 6 weeks at a time. Remembering when we were first married and did everything together, even grocery shopping, shared one car, and didn't want to be separated for as little as one night, its hard to believe I survived this year.

I remember when we went to Boise for a church plant, and I was homesick. I thought I would never go back home to live, that it was a forever move. Now Lloyd is the "home boy," although he has said he is willing to sell our house and move wherever I am called as permanent pastor, and he would have been happy to settle in Oregon or Washington. But I am not ready to give up our home here in New Hampshire, and right now there are no church openings here.

We are in agreement that we would like to do one-month mission trips, and I am in the process of writing a proposal for UNYP for these types of courses. Hopefully this year will keep us in the same place at the same time. Thank you for praying about where and how we should be ministering.

Home in the USA

2006-12-19T06:28:00.000-08:00

We flew from Ruzyne Airport in Prague at 6:45 A.M. on Monday December 18. We got up at 4:00 to meet a 5:00 van arranged by our landlord. It took half an hour to get all our luggage from the 5th floor apartment to the front entrance, 3 elevator loads. Our ride to the airport took half an hour, and we maintained the Czech silence. It was hard, since we Americans tend to chat, especially when excited.

We got to the airport -- no lines for tickets!!!, and all our luggage was fine except one piece, a double carry-on suitcase and bag. Some of the other pieces were overweight a little, and they let them through. So we stood there trying to figure out what to do. This extra piece of luggage would cost $150. If anyone sees luggage scales, please buy them and I will re-imburse you. These on-the-spot decisions about overweight luggage are stressful. Lloyd decided to split the one piece of problem luggage, so he gave the top piece to me, and kept the bottom piece. He would have 3 hours before his flight, and could think about options during that time. What was in this overweight piece? Lance's computer and mine, as well as books I used for teaching. I didn't realize computers are so heavy. He ended up paying over a hundred dollars for that piece.

Our flight to Frankfurt was only an hour, it was a little foggy but otherwise a good flight. Then we had to go through security again, as well as passport checks. It took a full hour. We can't figure out why I got two passport stamps and Lance got none (he went a different way than I did), and what the criteria is for passport stamps.

Our flight from Frankfurt to Boston was sunny and smooth. I read a whole novel, Lance read, and the last couple of hours we played LifeChoices, a card game where you tell stories from your family's past. Of course Lance loved it, dredging up all the stories of my brothers' and sisters' and my misdeeds. He wants to put all those stories in his movies, so watch out!

We breezed through customs and had no security check whatsoever in Boston -- isn't that amazing!!! Then we went to Concord Trailways Bus stop and thought we would have to wait two hours. But this friendly Concord Trailways bus driver came to us and offered to take us to South Station or Concord NH. He was so friendly, helpful, and jovial, we probably would have gone with him to New York!! What a contrast from our dour, non-communicative bus/tram drivers in the Czech Republic! We ended up staying on his bus, and Loralee and Aaron were willing to pick us up in Concord. Then Lloyd called and we had figured out how he could get to Manchester (his plane was 3 hours later than hours), so they picked him up as well.

Gayle, Lloyd's sister, had cleaned our house. Lloyd arranged it before he came to Prague. So we walked into an immaculate home. It was still daylight and everything looked beautiful! My eyes had to adjust to all the color, even the wood floors are colorful compared to our apartment in Prague.

While we waited for Lloyd I started unpacking the first set of luggage, and Lloyd has done the rest this morning. I went to bed at 8:00 (20:00) and Lloyd at 9:00. We were up at 6:00 this morning and watched the sunlight make our yard visible. Its good to be home, even if we had 48 answering machine messages to go through and two bushels of mail. My sister Lorraine had put cream in the refrigerator so we could enjoy our morning cup of coffee, and think about each of you, your prayers, and support of our overseas adventure. Thank you.

Last Weekend in Prague

2006-12-17T07:21:00.000-08:00

Saturday was very busy. We have made a new friendship with a couple who live on the first floor of our apartment building. The wife went to Plymouth State, can you believe it! Her mother is here to help her with their baby who has had life threatening illnesses, and her father is coming this week, as well as the husband's mother from England. So they are all going to stay in our apartment on the 5th floor. They came up on Saturday to be given a tour, and shown how everything works. Everything I wish someone had shown me!!!

Then the Christian International School of Prague put on the play, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at a theatre up the street, so we went and met the parents of our students. They all did a great job in the pageant. It was funny and poignant.

Then back home because the 6 couples who serve under IICS came to our apartment for dinner and a meeting. We ordered sandwiches so didn't have to cook. We had a really nice time together, and will miss each other. Three of the six couples are going home to the USA this month.

Today I graded student papers and workbooks for 3 hours, and them began packing, fitting in a meeting with a student as well (she brought me a bottle of wine and chocolates). The initial packing is done, but we will have to redistribute based on weight. We are all a little tense, but doing well.

Lloyd and Lance went to PCFE film school and Lance gave Lloyd a tour, saying good bye to students and professors.

We leave our apartment at 5:00 A.M. (11:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time) by van. Lloyd has a 3-hour wait in the airport for his flight, but Lance and I will head to Frankfurt and then on to Boston, catching a bus from Boston to Manchester where Loralee and Aaron will pick us up, Lord willing and the creek don't rise.

Thank you for your prayers and support. We couldn't do it without you.

Friday Last Day at PCFE Film School

2006-12-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

Today there was a Film Viewing, and each student had one film shown. The Viewing began at 10:00 and with a half hour break, ended at 1:15. Jose's film was based on a story his grandfather told him about serving in World War II and was dedicated to Charles K Sandford. That was really special. Jose acted in the last film shown, and it was hilariously funny. We very much enjoyed the show, and wish there had been time to discuss each film with its student director. Tonight they have a PCFE Film Party, and will receive their certificates of completion. We were happy to meet the faculty, and to say hello to other students we have met this semester.

The Last Week

2006-12-14T06:31:00.000-08:00

Our last week is bitter sweet. We know nothing will be the same, even if we come back, so everything is for the last time. On the other hand, there are arrangements to be made to get home, and we look forward to that. "Travel is the school of humans" said Anwari in the 12th century.

On Monday our middle school students at CISP finished reading and studying Proverbs. That was a major undertaking. On Wednesday we finished discussing Madeleine Takes Command, the book they read together after Tom Sawyer. Madeleine is a French-Canadian in the 1600s. So I have taught my last class at CISP, and today I taught my last class at UNYP. It was hard to say good bye, because I truly love these students. I thanked them for all they taught me, and suggested they all get their tuition money back, because I should pay them for teaching me more than I taught them. I also asked their forgiveness for all the cultural mistakes I made, for the taboos I unwittingly broke, and thanked them for their graciousness and kindness. I wish I could take them all back with me to my home!!! Each student shook my hand and thanked me for coming, hoping I will come back to teach another course.

So now I am grading papers, getting supplies back to the appropriate school, and doing last minute school work.

There were only 3 of us at Book Group because of holiday activities, but we had a good time together. Its amazing how friendship can grow so quickly when a few people meet for a couple of hours once a week, even though it was only seven weeks.

Yesterday evening we attended our last Faith and Learning Get-together. One professor presented his work in the area of ethics, and we all gave our two-cents worth. It was a fun discussion about whether religion belongs in the public square, if so, when and how?

Yesterday I also met with the Human Resource officer at UNYP and we went over my salary. Twenty per cent of my meager wage was taken out for income tax, but I can't get it back. The good side is that I don't have to declare it or fill out paper work. The down side is that I have donated about $400 to the Czech government, when I could have used it to cover expenses. Oh well, Render to Caesar what is Caesar's...

Renting a Car in Prague

2006-12-09T10:19:00.000-08:00

My father was here in the Czech Republic in 1945, and I wanted to go to the places where he was stationed. I have had this paper with the names of five cities on it since I got here. He had showed me a map the route taken by the Fourth Armored Division during World War II. On Friday after Thanksgiving we went to the airport to scope out the car rental situation, found 10 companies, but only one that would rent a car for a few hours. Alimex. They have another office in Prague where the prices are half as much as at the airport. So I made a reservation for today, and went to the office yesterday to make sure I could find it, and we had everything organized.

We got up early this morning and got to the office. The paperwork took about ten minutes, and the young man gave us a map with directions for getting out of Prague. Of course neither his directions nor the map matched the actual roads, so we spent half an hour of high stress flying by the seat of our pants (actually Lloyd's sense of direction won the day) and we were on our way.

It was interesting to see the Czech landscape -- almost identical to New Hampshire, white birches, rolling hills, fields, and little hamlets. Geographically we wouldn't know the difference between New Hampshire and the Czech Republic.

The houses are different: they don't use wood, instead it looks like some kind of cement or stucco, in many beautiful pastel colors. We found Susice, which Dad remembers, then followed the 4th armored route to the other towns. It was a gray day, but visibility was good and we enjoyed it. We took pictures of things Dad might have seen.

Then we headed home around 3:00. It began to rain more steadily than it has since we got here in September, it got dark and by 4:00 when we got back to Prague it was dark. We got terribly lost and spent two hours trying to find our way around Prague. We passed our apartment twice, and the second time stopped to use the facilities and study our maps, then out again, and we got to the Alimex car rental office with 3 minutes to spare -- their office closes at 6:00. We had to fill up the gas tank, the girl at the counter spoke no English, and we couldn't figure out how to work the pump. Stress! Stress!!

We are home safe and sound. As Mark Twain says in Innocense Abroad, the discomforts will slowly disappear from our memories and we will be talking about our wonderful trip driving around the Czech Republic!

Christmas

2006-12-07T05:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had our weekly dinner with other IICS professors, and then walked to Old Town Square to see the Christmas lights. They were incredibly beautiful, the two huge churches, the square filled with a Christmas bizarre, a beautiful lit tree, a viewing stand, and so forth. It was so beautiful, I felt like crying!!

Lloyd continued to paint our aparment, two rooms left.

One more class with my college students. I pray they will get their assignments in and there won't be any snags.

My Middle school students are finishing the book of Proverbs, a great project for me. Ten days left for this trip.

Dresden Germany

2006-12-04T05:32:00.000-08:00

On Saturday Teri from Karlovary came into Prague and we got together. She was an international student in Ione Oregon when I was pastor there, and had gone through Confirmation classes with me. We had a great time together. Of course there is so much she knows that I don't! We went grocery shopping together and she showed me which butter, water, eggs, milk, cream, etc. to get. It went so smoothly! I keep quoting her because she taught me so much!

On Sunday we took the train to Dresden Germany. Because I am here for 93 days, I have to leave the country and come back, because a tourist visa is only for 90 days. The train ride was beautiful, following the Vltava River, and then the Elbe. When we got to Dresden, a beautiful German city, it was bitter cold with high winds. We enjoyed the Christmas bazarres and the beautiful architecture, but it was too cold to stay outside. We came back on the 4:00 train.

We have two weeks left here, and realize that we will not get to everything. Its hard to think about leaving, will we fit everything in our suitcases, how will we get home from the airport, is the house still standing, etc.

Christian Year Begins with Advent

2006-12-01T06:43:00.000-08:00

Lloyd sleeps later in the morning than I do, so I have been getting dressed in the dark. I discovered, half way through my college class yesterday, that an earing was attached to my glasses. Was this humiliation or humility?!!!

Today I went to Bethlehem Chapel where John Hus was Rector in the early 1400s. John Hus was a Czech professor at Charles University who followed John Wycliff in bringing the Reformation to Europe a hundred years before Martin Luther. ("Wyclif struck the spark, Hus lit up the candle, and Luther wielded the torch" of the Reformation) Hus was burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Council in Constance. There is a picture depicting it in Bethlehem Chapel, which is now owned and maintained by the Czech Technical University. I had a chance to pray for the Czech Republic, that there will be another revival like that at the time of Hus, especially among college students here in Prague.

On my way home I picked up a St. Nicholas figure, and realized that Santa Claus is a saint, and we have been remiss in thinking he is the emblem of secularism at Christmas. He is a Christian saint, and belongs to Christianity.

We lit our first Advent candle today in class at CISP, and discussed the Christian year: 24 days of Advent, 12 days of Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, etc.

Please pray for Lloyd. We were going to make a trip this weekend, but he is not feeling well and spent the day in bed. Thank you.

The Bus and Car Rental

2006-11-26T06:59:00.000-08:00

On Friday we decided to go to the airport and find out about renting a car to go see the places where my father went during World War II. He showed the towns to me on a map, and we have found them on our maps here. It took a while to find the car rental place. There were ten companies renting cars, but only one that might meet our needs, and they had no car available. So we went back out to the bus stop and got on our bus (No. 119). Except everyone kept getting off until it was just Lloyd and me, and then it pulled into a bus parking lot. I said, "We have to get off." Lloyd said, "We are not getting off. This is the right bus." So there we sat, the two of us alone in the bus while the driver spoke sharply saying ??xxyyzz?? Finally I jumped up and went to the driver telling him our bus stop. He shook his head and motioned for us to get off the bus. By then Lloyd was willing to do so. So here we were out in a bus parking lot, wondering what to do next. Since our bus driver is Czeck, he would not point or show us where to go, except off his bus! Lloyd happened to notice a bus stop across the parking lot and we went to it. Luckily this was not only the bus with the right number (119) but also going in the right direction! The buses do not loop around, but stop when they get to the end of their run, so you can't "ride forever neath the streets of Boston" here. In fact, at the end of each metro/subway line a recording comes on that says in English "Please leave the train." When we hear it we laugh, since it is the only phrase spoken in English. We have visions of Americans like ourselves, sitting there refusing to leave. Yes, that's us all right!

Thanksgiving

2006-11-26T06:53:00.000-08:00

My favorite holiday (except Holy Week and Easter). My college class meets on Thursdays from 9-12, so I taught on Thanksgiving for the first time in my life! I dismissed the class at 11:30, and we trooped over to our apartment for a Thanksgiving dinner. I had set the table and put a verse about thanks on each plate, along with the five kernels of corn, which each person used to tell 5 things he/she was thankful for. The students had brought a delicious whipped cream type cake which was put with the two pies we got at Red, Hot, and Blues, an American restaurant. The students needed to take an exam at 1:00, so we were finished by 12:40 and off they went.

Lloyd cooked a goose that afternoon, and that evening three of Jose's friends came for another Thanksgiving dinner.

Then on Saturday we hosted 17 professors and family members who are part of IICS, our sending organization. They came around 2:00 and stayed until 7:30. We had a really good time together.

A special Thanksgiving treat was a phone call from my brother and sister in Albuquerque NM. Our connection wasn't the best, but it was so very nice of them to call!

Book Group

2006-11-21T03:03:00.000-08:00

I went to my Book Group yesterday, studying Henry Nouen's Gracias!
Transporation is a problem. I decided to take a taxi this week, so as to get there on time. Except the taxi took longer than the metro. And the whole time I was thinking: How much will this cost? Do I have the right change? What if my purse opens and spills out when its time to get out? What if he can't find the place? What if he just drives around for a while so as to jack up the price? Why am I so neurotic about taking a taxi?!! Then after Book Group I had to walk to a deserted bus station after dark and wait 10 minutes (it felt like 10 hours) for the right bus. My nice husband met me at the Metro stop near home (his idea, not mine) so the last leg of the journey felt safer. Is this Book Group worth the transporation stress?

The two hours are wonderful. We were asked, What was your call to Prague? Describe your call. Each of us believes that we were sent to Prague to learn new skills. This cross-cultural experience, being surrounded by six other IICS families, has taught me so much. I have begun putting it in writing. But none of us feels in our hearts that we are meant to spend the rest of our lives here, even though one of the group came with that in mind. We each described are sense of why we are not meant to stay permanently. For me, it is the harshness of the person on the street. I am just too sensitive. A bus driver or store clerk can reduce me to tears with a curt word. And I was surprised when another of the group described similar problems at the doctor's office etc. Henry Nouen writes that when we go to a new culture, we regress to that part of our childhood where we have unresolved issues, and have a chance to re-do it in a better way. That would make me emotionally five, concerned about having the approval of church leaders, and witnessing public "rebukes" of myself and others. I hope to re-do that more positively, but am not sure I am succeeding. Then we shared what we like about the Czech culture: the friendliness of our students and people we have gotten to know, their love of small dogs, their love of nature -- wealthy people have huts in the woods that the go to on holidays, their stamina to survive oppression, their lovely church buildings and architecture, etc. I was surprised at our commonality in the book group, even as each added perspectives I knew nothing about.
I have to laugh at the difference between this book group and the one I ran. I had written out thought-provoking questions, made copies and distributed them. This group leader said, "What do you want to talk about from this chapter?" Very nice!!

Pre-Thanksgiving

2006-11-20T06:10:00.000-08:00

Thursday was a busy day. Jose's friend from Mass Art flew in for a couple of weeks to do a film. We are happy to have him here. Our landlord flew in the same day from Texas, and we spent time going over apartment issues together. He is very nice, and we enjoyed his company. We also had movie night for UNYP students, watching "I am Sam."

Mid term grades and mid term exam grades were given out. UNYP students are doing very well in the course. They are working hard. One said he spent 14 hours on the mid term (a take home.

Friday was the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in 1989, and also the anniversary of the day when the Nazis closed all universities and executed 7 students in 1939. We found no ceremonies, but went to Wencelas Square where these things took place, and prayed for another Velvet Revolution, a revival.

We watched a movie about John Hus with our IICS friends. John Hus, a Bohemian/Czech, was the originator of the Reformation, not Martin Luther.

On Saturday Lloyd and I went to the Castle District and St. Vitus Cathedral. It is awesome! A study in Christianity, all through art!

That night Jason, Jose's friend, treated us to dinner at a restaurant where cavemen were the theme. The restaurant was decorated as a cave, the waiters were dressed as cavemen, and the names of the dishes fit the theme. Interesting!

Sunday Lloyd went to a Sports Bar to watch the Patriots play. He enjoyed himself!

I am feeling better, still coughing some and constantly using tissues, but not as drained. Six more weeks!

Busy Week Then Crash November 12

2006-11-12T05:13:00.000-08:00

This was one of those weeks that just got too busy and I didn't know how to stop it. In addition to teaching at UNYP and at CISP, and tutoring 2 students, I started going to a Book Group on Henry Nouen's book Gracias! It is held in the apartment of a missionary at the International Baptist Seminary, who is an international consultant on prostitution and human traficking. There are 7 of us in the book group, and it holds promise. I especially wanted to see how someone else does book groups, because I have never been to any other than my own.

Wednesday I attended an evening "Faith and Learning" monthly meeting for college professors. A Czech student presented from her dissertation at Charles University on the Moravians and Christian education. It was interesting. We got to ask her questions after her presentation. It was held in the home of Bill and Lisa Miller, who are here with IICS,like us, and they are very hospitable.

Thursday I interviewed the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the International Baptist Theological Seminary, regarding programs they offer.

In addition, grades were due at CISP, and mid-terms to correct at UNYP.

By Thursday evening I was ready to spend a few days of rest. So Lloyd and Lance left on the train Friday morning, to spend the weekend in Vienna, Austria. (When we got flights to come here, we did not know that we could only stay for 90 days, and we will be here 93 days, so both Lance and I have to leave the country at least once before December 18.) Vienna is a $40, 4-hour train ride away, and if I had felt well enough, I would have gone with them, but instead spent a weekend at home trying to get well. I feel better and they will be home in a couple of hours!

Agape Meal

2006-11-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

We went to church at the International Baptist Seminary on Sunday and they had an Agape Meal afterwards. It was potluck, but began with the breaking of the bread, eating, then sharing joys and concerns, and then a passing of the cup. They had prepared milk and honey for the children! It was really a nice service.

Water

2006-11-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I invited two women who are also here with IICS to lunch at our apartment. I asked if they wanted ice water (no one drinks ice water in the Czech Republic), which they did. One is from Dallas, the other from Hickory North Carolina, so I knew what they would say. Ice water is a southern thing. So I got a bottle of water and poured the water over the ice in each glass. The guest from North Carolina says, "What is this stuff swimming around in my water?" The one from Texas says, "Its swimming around in my water too." At this point I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself. I said, "I just pulled those glasses out of the dishwasher. Maybe the glasses are dirty. Maybe the dishwasher doesn't work. Maybe the ice has something wrong with it." What kind of a hostess am I?!!! I got them new glasses of tap water with no ice, and we had our meal. When Lloyd got home, I told him about the water. He got the bottle out, and examined the label carefully. In small print it said Voda y lime. Since we can't read anything on anything in the grocery store, we hadn't bothered to read the fine print. But he cleverly turned to the women and said, "You should have drunk this. It would have kept you from scurvy!"

Saturday November 4 Sad Saga About Money

2006-11-04T04:24:00.000-08:00

During the first few weeks we were here we just took the bills/receipts and paid them. Then we took them home and studied them, only to find that a) we couldn't read their numbers because they write them differently; b) they don't always itemize; 3) we were paying more than we thought we were paying.

Then we read an article in The Prague Post stating that they are charging foreigners (especially us Americans, since they think we are all rich) extra, that we should always check receipts and refuse to pay when we are overcharged. We have noticed that even Czechs stop to study their receipts after they have gone through check out.

But we have got to start writing down everything we buy or order and how much it costs, BEFORE we get to the cash register.

Yesterday we puzzled over the bill and got the waiter to read the amounts to us. We found that our drinks cost 3 x the amount of our dinner! My glass of water, a very small bottle, was $4.50. Lloyd's glass of beer was much cheaper! I'm glad I didn't ask for another glass of water!

We don't want to be cheap skates or pinch pennies. Neither do we want to waste money. Please pray that we will be both wise and winsome as we represent the USA here.

All Souls Day

2006-11-02T04:28:00.000-08:00

Today, November 2, is All Souls Day. My Czech friend, Blanka, came to my house and we read the Bible together, both in Czech and English. She is a Roman Catholic nun, so she explained to me that November 1 is All Saints Day, when we pray to the saints to help us, and November 2 is All Souls Day when we pray for those who died, so they can get from Purgitory to heaven.

Last night we went out to eat with two of our professor friends from IICS (our sending organization), and I was telling them about what Blanka said. I told them that we always treated November 1 as Necromancy Day! One of them said, "Necromancy! That's having sex with the dead!" We couldn't find a dictionary, but Lance says necromancy is something to do with magic! And I just remembered that it is Necrology Sunday when we honor those who died over the past year! So which are you celebrating? necrophilia? necromancy? necrology?!! I did have a wonderful vision of Mom and Aunt Marion having one of their chats! We miss them both.

What's New Thursday November 1

2006-11-02T04:12:00.000-08:00

Today we talked about childhood psychopathologies in my College class, so, of course I had to use illustrations from my own family: my sister's separation anxiety at school! my daughter's difficult birth! bonding with my son! nieces, nephews, and the whole lot. There is nothing my class doesn't know about us! (if I didn't speak too fast or use too many English words they have never heard before!!) I even handed out examples of children's drawings, one by Chad when he was 5, etc. etc.

Next week is adolescent psychopathologies, and I wish Dr. Jenkins (!) could teach that class for me!

Their first assignment was to design an Intake Form to use when interviewing potential clients for the first time. One student e-mailed me that his Intake Form would be short because he had already decided that his hypothetical client wasn't very ill! (I had to respond by asking what his logic was, diagnosing a client before meeting him/her.)

Yesterday we finished our unit on Tom Sawyer at the Christian International School (middle school). So we had a "Game Show" with the review questions. It tended to get a little on the rowdy side when we put a team of boys against girls. The students didn't think I would be able to see which team raised its hand first to answer the questions (since I was reading the questions), so we appointed a "watcher" who would let us know whose hand went up first. But she wanted a friend to be a watcher too, so between them they divided it up and one watched one team while the other watched the other team!! What's wrong with this picture!!

On Saturday we are having a Singing Prayer Service at our apartment. Please pray that the right people will come and it will go well. I am pretty excited about doing this, having always wanted to do it in the U.S.

Friday October 27

2006-10-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the International Baptist Seminary to take some flyers, and had lunch at the restaurant there. They also have a hotel and child care center. I ordered sea bass, which is delicious, for 182 KZ ($9). The cook brought out a mound of sea salt and began pounding on it with a mallet until the fish appeared from under the mound. Then he took a soup spoon and knife, and skinned and filleted it and gave me the meat, which was excellent. Then I got the bill for 650 KZ ($31). We had read in The Prague Post about all the price gouging used on foreigners, so I questioned him. He showed me that the menu states 182 KZ for 100 grams, and this fish was over 300 grams. Live and learn. Next time we will write down what we order and how much we are willing to pay, and show it to the waiter. The bill is in Czech, so we do not always know what the items are. They write their numbers differently, so we can't figure out what numbers they have written down. Then we need to be able to convert from Crowns (KZ) to dollars. And finally, they add things like the cost of salt, pepper, bread, water, etc. Anyhow, the sea bass was great, and maybe we will serve it to you the way it was served to us (without the bill)!!

Lloyd has arrived!

2006-10-26T04:31:00.000-07:00

Lloyd got here on Tuesday! His Aunt Bonnie took him to the Manchester bus station where he hopped a bus for $15 and got to the airport five hours ahead of time. He had a smooth flight from Boston to Zurich, a delay there, so he went into the city and bought me some truffles! Then a bumpy flight from Zurich to Prague. When we got on the bus from the airport, it was so crowded we could hardly breathe, and he began to get a migraine. So I thought we would get a taxi, but couldn't find one. Lance met us at the metro, and we straggled to our apartment. Lloyd has been resting and getting over jet lag. Thank you for your prayers! It is WONDERFUL to be together again.

Church and International Schools

2006-10-23T02:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to a Baptist Church up the street from my apartment. They did a roll call of the nations, and 22 were represented. The Worship Team was 4 from Africa and 2 from Europe, and there was more color at this church than found on the streets or at other churches. The Czech Republic is remarkably White, compared to Boston, where Whites are a minority. I enjoyed the service and afterwards met a music teacher from Texas who is here teaching at what she called the "Pagan" International School, as opposed to the Christian International School where I am teaching. Her International School has 700 students, pays faculty well, pays for her apartment, her trips over here, and gives her a generous salary as well. In comparison, CISP, where I teach, has 30 students in grades 1-12, approximately 3 students per grade, and each teacher has to raise his/her support. But I am thankful for a chance to teach at a Christian School again.
LLOYD COMES TOMORROW! CAN'T WAIT!!!!

This Week October 22

2006-10-23T02:24:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we had our monthly IICS (International Institute for Christian Studies) meeting. I offered to bring meatballs. What a mistake!! Making the meatballs took all of 5 minutes, since I have made them so many times for the past 40 years. Then I had to read the manual for the oven. It has international symbols, which neither I nor my Czech friend, can make sense of. Then I went to put the baking sheet in the oven and it was 2 inches too big. Jose got frustrated with me because he was sure the baking dish was meant to go in sidewards, one side on shelf 2 and the other side on shelf 4, at a 45 degree angle. I promised to use it that way if he would clean the oven afterwards, knowing hamburg is extremely drippy. There was nothing for it but to go shopping for a baking dish, which took about 2 hours. Then to find spaghetti sauce! All labels are in Czech, so Is this spaghetti sauce, taco sauce, or some other kind of tomatoe sauce? Is it mild, moderate, or hot? I said, "Does anyone here speak English?" and a very nice American college student came over. It was his first day in the Czech Republic and he didn't know any Czech words yet!! So my meatballs took all day Saturday. Then to walk to the apartment where they would be served, get lost, but eventually I found it. Mission accomplished.

Hope for Europe

2006-10-23T02:22:00.000-07:00

WHY THERE IS HOPE FOR EUROPE

1. Europeans are a significant part of the human family. They have contributed to every area of human life, and Europe has been the seat of influence over the world for 3,000 years.

2. Christ died for Europeans. They are loved by God. God owns the land and the resources of Europe, and Christ is the rightful King/Emporer/Leader/CEO of Europe.

3. Fifteen books in the New Testament were written to churches and individuals in Europe, and at least two were written in Europe. Even though Jesus lived in Asia, and the record of his ministry is in Israel only, the book of Acts shows how Christianity spread from Jerusalem to Rome while the canon was being written.

4. Christianity was brought to Europe by Paul, and disciples of Christ who were eye witnesses of his life, death, and resurrection. They brought authentic, first-hand accounts, and were primary sources.

5. Christianity and the Church have an unbroken history in Europe, beginning with visitors from Rome who were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and heard about Jesus in their own language.

6. Christianity became so pervasive, it was legitimized in Europe first of all, through the Emporer Constantine, and has been recognized, and to some degree accepted, in Europe ever since.

7. Europe is the womb of the Western world. From Europe, Western civilization spread to the Western hemisphere, and through colonization, to every continent. Western civilization is Christian.

8. As Europeans migrated and went exploring, they brought Christianity with them. Europe sent missionaries to the rest of the world.

9. The finest culture of Europe is Christian: churches and cathedrals, other forms of architecture, paintings, statues, music, and literature. To admire the aesthetics of the Western world for the past 2,000 years is to admire Christian expression, especially that of Europeans.

10. The Reformation came from Europe. Calvin, Zwingli, John Hus, Martin Luther, and many others were great European, Christian theologians.

11. European political history over the past 2,000 years is Christian: religion had an impact on government and politics in every country.

12. Traditions such as the Christian year and holy days were developed in Europe. The calendar and its holidays was developed in Europe, and heavily influenced by Christianity.

13. Most countries around the world define their identity in terms of Europe: how they are European and how they are NOT European. Europe is the standard for the Americas, Australia, Africa, and even parts of Asia, due to historic colonization. In the United States we call Europe the “Old World,” and we are the “New World.” We refer to our ethnic roots, many of which are European: Irish-American, Franco-American, Spanish-American, etc. We still have a sense of belonging to Europe through our roots. We also define ourselves as non-European, how we are different from Europe. This role in identity formation is unique toward Europe, of all the continents, showing its importance to world civilizations. The salvation of Europe is, in this way, our own salvation.

Thursday

2006-10-19T03:48:00.000-07:00

Class went well today. After class a student asked to talk to me about baptism, so we have set up a meeting for tomorrow. Another student has a friend (single mother) with parenting issues. Could they come see me?
I have to say we are having a lot of laughs in class. Today I showed them how to do behavior modification, and suggested that we demonstrate how to help someone stop smoking: would anyone like to be the subject? Many hands went up. One student was selected and we went over "target behavior, baseline date, and reinforcement." It was suggested that perhaps we offer her an A for the course if she quit smoking. She was agreeable to that reinforcement.
We also looked at cognitive behavior therapy, and they took an inventory of their anger management strategies. Much giggling.
We talked about different temperaments and personalities: phlegmatic, choleric, melancholy, and sanguine. Once they received the handout, they could not listen to a thing I said, they were so busy determining their own personalities and those of their friends. Isn't learning fun!!!
I went out for Chinese with the VonDohlens, my IICS friends here. Our meals were $4.00 each!
I went shopping for some odds and ends and found a small stuffed animal (2") to clip on my purse, since the catch came off. When you squeeze the animal's stomach, it says, "I love you" in English. I took it to class today. You just can't help but laugh to be in the Czech Republic and have this little animal speaking English! Besides we all need all the love we can get, right?!

Students at UNYP

2006-10-17T03:28:00.000-07:00

Missionary Work

2006-10-17T03:11:00.000-07:00

After having written about the elevator, fashions, and toilet paper, its about time I wrote about my missionary work.
My first goal here is to pray for this country and city. I have been reading the Psalms and marking each verse that addresses global issues explicitly. God is God of the whole earth!
I have put together a group of songs related to global missions and have been singing them daily in prayer. I would like to begin a Singing Prayer Service.
I have a Prayer Calendar, and am praying for different people on our Ministry Support Team, every day. Also each of my 25 students, and churches that are supporting us.
I am leading the middle schoolers at CISP through the book of Proverbs. This means a heavy dose of sex education from a Biblical point of view, and I appreciate your prayers as we address that most important area of life, sexuality and sexual activity.
Tomorrow we will talk about smoking, as related to Tom Sawyer. These are missionary kids, so we tend to think they already know everything there is to know about moral and health issues, but how many missionaries have been wrecked by moral failure and bad choices. One student said, "But we are only in 7th grade!" I told her that unfortunately most Christians do too little too late in teaching about these things.
When we discussed the thunder storm in Tom Sawyer, one boy shared that his family lost their home to Hurricane Katrina, and has been living with grandparents ever since.
Sr. Blanka is a Moravian Catholic nun, age 27, who asked to meet with an English-speaking person for prayer and Bible study. She comes to my apartment, and we enjoy each other's company. She has a remarkable story of coming to Christ.
I have been visiting international churches here in Prague. There are only 7 or 8 of them that are English speaking (in a city of 1.25 million), but it has introduced me to the ex pats.
I have met for lunch and dinner with two other Christian faculty members at UNYP, for encouragement and to learn the culture of the university.
I spend a great deal of time reading about Czech culture, history, and local guidebooks, so as to better understand the people I am teaching. This includes field trips to local places of interest and landmarks.
As I walk through the streets and ride the tram/metro/bus, I pray for the people around me.
I have begun to write various pieces about this experience and will try to add them as attachments. One is Hope for Europe.
Living with cross-cultural frustrations is a good, although not always pleasant experience for me, and should help me in my work with international students in the US.
To the people and churches who are supporting us in prayer, thank you. It means a great deal.

Cross cultural stupidity

2006-10-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

Stupidity begins with me. I brought a copier/printer/scanner from home. GREAT IDEA! I even brought an adaptor for European plugs! VERY SMART!! But what did I forget?! 1) the cd for installing printer software on my computer; 2) the manual!!!! 3) extra cartridges. How dumb can you get, right? It took two weeks to download the software from HP on line and get it installed, thanks to Aaron (our genius of a son-in-law who came and did it for me). Now I need cartridges. In fact, when I brought it, it was low on ink. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. So I walked around the corner from our apartment to a computer store and bought two cartridges, one color and the other black and white. The box stated that they fit HP 1510, which is my machine. Not having the manual, it took me a while, but I figured out how to load the cartridges. AND THEY DIDN'T WORK!!! What is wrong with me? What is wrong with the machine? What is wrong with the cartridges?!!! Lance tried, and it didn't work for him either. So back to the computer store I went on Saturday, but it was closed. So back today and I brought the copy machine. The clerk could not get it to work either, so he called HP and they said that even though the box said it would work for our machine, this cartridge only works in Europe!!! AND he wouldn't take the cartridge back so I had to pay almost a hundred dollars for cartridges I can't use!!! I was NOT HAPPY!!!

Clothing: Fashions

2006-10-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

As all women know, our clothes give a message about who we are, our beliefs, values, and identity. So we put time into choosing the "outfit" that fits how we feel and what we want the world to know about us. In the US we have a wide variety of clothes to fit weather, situations, and mood. Because of the 50 pound limit for luggage, we cannot bring our entire wardrobe, and wonder if we will get it right.
MYTH 1: Only wear black in former communist countries, so you won't stand out.
REALITY: Black is the most common color, second is white, third brown, and after that any color is fine. Bright colors are even cheerful!
MYTH 2: Only Americans wear white sneakers, so if you want to blend in, don't wear them.
REALITY: Lots of people wear white sneakers here, and it means nothing.
MYTH 3: This is a cool climate, so bring winter clothes.
REALITY: So far it has been between 65-75 degrees, and 80-90 on some days. I very much miss my summer clothes. We have had one cold day so far.

MORE REALITY:
Shoes: Women wear high heels here, even with all the walking on cobblestones. It is amazing. They also wear dress shoes almost all the time. I wish I had my rubber soled sandles.
Everyone takes off their shoes when going inside a house or school. So having portable slippers is a must.
Women don't wear shorts here, but wear lots of long skirts, both "flowing" and taylored.
Unlike Ione Oregon, blue jeans are not worn by "mature women" like myself!!! Only by young people.
Women don't wear short or knee length skirts here.
That's it for fashions in the Czech Republic.

Today I taught English at CISP, and had a BAD experience at the computer store. More on that next time. I went to church yesterday with my Czech nun friend. We went to a Baptist church, her first ever Protestant service. More on that later.
Love to all.

Elevator

2006-10-14T05:22:00.000-07:00

The elevator is our best friend in the machinery family. More important than a washing machine or dryer, dishwasher, tv (we only get one English-speaking channel anyhow), dvd player, even lights. We live on the 5th floor, so bringing groceries, computers, luggage, and other things, make the elevator very important to us.

Our elevator has its own personality. To begin, the ground floor is called 0. So if you ask which floor someone lives on, and they say 0, that does not mean they don't live on any floor. It means they do not need stairs or the elevator.

Our elevator accommodates a maximum of 3 people. It is sedate and even leisurely, but faithful. When you step on it, it goes DOWN at least two inches, making you think you may go crashing into the underworld if you do not show it respect.

If you forget to push any buttons, the light goes out. At night this means you have to feel around in the dark and hope you are not pushing the alarm.

After you push the button for 5 (5th floor), nothing happens for at least 5 seconds. Just when you are sure it is broken, things start to happen.

As to using it in the morning, it has a full length mirror, so you have PLENTY of time to check your personal grooming, and should emerge with no hair out of place. It is also a good place for stretching and preparing to walk. I find that when I stretch in the elevator at the beginning of the day, my back hurts less at night. Because of so much walking, and going over stone streets, my back usually hurts throughout the night, so having a slow elevator can help.

Today is a BEAUTIFUL day in Prague. Yesterday I enjoyed the Charles Bridge again, studying each statue and the story behind it. Love to all.

Thursday

2006-10-12T03:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening I went to dinner at the home of the Principal of the Christian School where I am volunteering. There were six guests including myself, and it was her husband's birthday. Two of the guests were from Germany, and we had an interesting discussion about the European Union, which they see as eventually making Europe into one country, like the United States.

My class met this morning. I am requiring all assignments to be sent to me on line, and we are having technical difficulties, but are working it out.

Tonight they come to my house for our first movie night: "What about Bob?" Diagnosis, symptoms, causes, treatment, etc.

Wednesday

2006-10-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I taught music at CISP: 20 students in grades 1-7.

Last evening my "student" Blanka came over to my house and had supper with me. She practiced her English, and I learned a little more about Czech culture. For example, if you say to a Czech, "Would you like some ice cream?" they must say "No" even if they do want some. So you ask again, "Would you like some ice cream?" Again they will say, "No." So you ask a third time, "Would you like some ice cream?" And then they will take it. If you do not ask 3 times, you are considered rude!

Today I went to a video store with American movies, and the clerk was one of my students!! What a nice surprise!

When I headed over to CISP, I tried a different route, and got lost, walking around in a big circle! Trial and error.

Time!

2006-10-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

I got a call this morning from my dear husband at 6:00A.M.!! He stayed up until midnight so he could talk to me when I got up. He thought we are 7 hours different, but we are SIX hours different from the East Coast, 8 hours different from New Mexico, and 9 hours different from the West Coast. So when I got up at 6:00 A.M., I looked at my prayer calendar and saw that today is the day to pray for the Wakemans. This is probably the only day IN MY WHOLE LIFE that I got up BEFORE Joe Wakeman! He is known for his long work hours!!

On the subject of time, it is now 16:45 here, and I am still secretly subtracting twelve.

Also, they write the date with the day first, then the month, and then the year. So it would not surprise them to see 14/10/06.

As to international calls, you have a code (001) that I must put in before dialing the USA, and the Czech Republic has a code (420) as well. Lloyd is unable to call me on his cell phone, so we are having a hard time communicating, since he is home only in the middle of our night.

I have a cell phone and buy minutes from local Vodafone stores. I give the clerk my phone and she/he enters the minutes.

After each call, I receive a message that tells me how many crowns I have spent on that call, and how many crowns I have left.

Text messaging is the cheapest. I can now read a text message (hint, hint) but have not yet learned how to send them. When I asked Lance to show me, he took my phone, put it half way to his nose, punched a few buttons, and said, "There, that's how you text message." Some time when he is feeling mellow, we'll try again!

Weekend

2006-10-09T02:31:00.000-07:00

On Friday I taught a Character Education class at CISP. Then at 5:00 I met Blanka, a 27-year old nun who has taken one year away from the convent to re-examine her vocation and learn the skills of living independently. She plans to teach English and Czech when she goes home to Moravia, a region of the Czech Republic. She was one of three Christians in her classes growing up, and did not like religion until she had an experience receiving God's love and Jesus' salvation when she was 15. She is very nice and will teach me more about Czech culture than I will teach her about English!

On Saturday Lance and I found Big Ben, an "English" bookstore. Compared to Barnes and Noble, it is a hole-in-the-wall, but we picked up a book, and then went to Charles University Bookstores, which also had very few books.

On Sunday I went to the International Church with my friends from IICS, and then we went to a large department store, IKEA. It took forever to get through the lines of people, but it was nice to be together.

One of the students from Lance's school came over last night. He is from Mexico, named Isaak, and we watched Oliver Twist.

2006-10-05T04:42:00.000-07:00

2006-10-05T04:33:00.000-07:00

First Class at UNYP

2006-10-05T04:04:00.000-07:00

Today I taught my first class, and thank you for your prayers. They were definitely answered. Class went great, including power point presentation and overhead projector! Students were lively, humorous, and fully engaged in the subject matter. I described for them a man I saw on the street who was in his underwear, wearing a bathrobe, and bedroom slippers, and asked them to determine whether this was abnormal. They had many reasons that it was not!! (As well as reasons it was.)

There is no bookstore here. One copy of each text is put in the library, and students are expected to make copies. !!!

They have their own version of Blackboard, software written specifically for UNYP, so I have uploaded documents from class for them to copy. I told them all assignments must be turned in on line. We will see how that works!

Last night I got sick all of a sudden: I got a very bad sore throat, and was worried about teaching today. I did too much yesterday, teaching two classes at CISP (Christian Internation School of Prague), met with administrator here at UNYP, got my 3-month pass (took about 90 minutes), and minutes for my vodafone. It wore my resistance down, so I cancelled my evening dinner appointment with IICS friends, and stayed home preparing for class today. I am still feeling sick, but have been counting on your prayers to bolster my energy. So thanks. (I miss my resident pharmacist, Lloyd, who is always doctoring all of us. He is North Carolina on a project for his father, ably assisted by his nephew, Craig Dukelow.)

Lance (Jose) on Trip to Czech border

2006-10-04T04:20:00.000-07:00

Picture

2006-10-04T04:12:00.000-07:00

Tuesday October 3

2006-10-03T04:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I tutored a sixth grade student in math and then started teaching English to 6th, 7th, and 8th: Tom Sawyer. It was fun. Today I am teaching two math classes to middle school, World Cultures, and Music. Its fun to be with kids and in the classroom again, but also exhausting!

Yesterday they changed the keys to the Faculty Office at UNYP without telling us -- The Key revisited!

2006-10-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

Lost!

2006-10-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Aaron (son-in-law) and I went to the airport where I saw him off. It was hard to have him leave. We would have kept him except our daughter would have hated us! I took a picture of him going through Customs, and was reprimanded -- security?

Then I decided to go to the church where we went last week. Back to the metro stop, and get on a bus. But I got on the wrong bus, even though the bus driver said it was correct. I thought it was the 2nd stop, but he must not have opened the doors at the first stop, so when I asked him, he pointed back and let me know I had missed it. I said, "But there was no sign!" He said, "Get out (in Czech)" quite rudely and then repeated it. So I got out, having no idea where I was or how to go anywhere. It was raining and I felt like crying, mostly because I was so angry with the bus driver. They are so much kinder in Boston! Anyhow, an English speaking person directed me down a street that I walked for about 3/4 of a mile, then found a bus stop. Another English speaking person told me I was waiting for a bus that went in the wrong direction. So I crossed the road and waited. When the bus came, I asked the bus driver if he was going to the metro. He shook his head and said No. An English speaking person kindly told me to get on, go one stop, and change buses, which I did, and got home safely. No church, but it felt good to make it home.

Since Lance isn't looking over my shoulder to tell me I'm being overly-dramatic, can I make the analogy of how many people are lost? Luckily there are kind people along the way who are willing to help out a stranger.

Simple things done differently

2006-10-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

The "flush handle" is not like those in the US. There are two round, flat circles on the wall. One is a smaller circle than the other. I looked in the apartment manual to find out which to push. No directions. It reminded me of the "Lady and the Tiger" story we read in 8th grade with Mr. Hoyt. One door has to be opened, but the opener does not know whether it is a lady or a tiger on the other side of the door. Which circle flushes the toilet, and which blows it up? I say Push either one and then run for the door!

At UNYP (University of New York in Prague) they lock the facilities, and one must obtain a key to use them. (Can you imagine doing this on a US campus?!) The signs on the doors are in Czech, so one must know which is mens and which is womens. I was told that the one with "y" in it is for my gender. Why are we so terrified of going in the wrong restroom? (Lady and Tiger again)

Even the toilet paper is different. It is narrower and thicker. In the school it is used for both toilet paper and paper towels, and the roll is at the entrance to the restroom, so you better not forget to pick some up on your way in! I think they ration a certain amount each month, because there was none the last week of September, but its back with the new month.

Restaurants and stores charge to use their facilities. Lance was charged 25 crowns (12 cents) and got into an argument with the bar tender over it. Generally the fee is 5 crowns (1 cent). I am reminded of the 1950s in Manchester when we had to carry a dime with us at all times, for the same purpose.

Next to the toilet in our beautiful apartment is a small shower head, should anyone wish to wash with water after toileting!

The Key

2006-09-29T05:36:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your messages! It is good to hear from home! Come on over! I saw a ticket for $450, tax included! We met Aaron (Reyes) at the airport last night and are glad he is here for a couple of days.

The Key is symbolic of a country that has been oppressed and under a totalitarian government. We have four keys to our apartment, and have to unlock three different doors. Luckily the keys are color coded, but they don't just unlock -- you have to turn the key two or three times in one direction and two or three times in the other direction, click your heels, say and prayer, and then they work! (Unless its raining or you have your arms filled with bags.)The doors open inward instead of outward. All this "trouble" must have helped them feel safe -- no one could just sweep in. I feel like I'm entering a fortress. On the other hand, leaving is easy -- locks, no keys, and having to take the keys with me to unlock the next door keeps me from leaving them hanging from the first lock!

The Key is much like the hearts of the Czech people. They have learned to put up defenses in many ways so as to survive in a hostile environment. Now that they are free, the key may be keeping them prisoners, rather than safe. We wonder how EMTs and firefighters get to people who need help. And how do we get to people who need help in this beautiful city.

Day 12

2006-09-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

We went to church at the Baptist Seminary here in Prague. It was a great service, excellent preaching and use of power point, enjoyable music, and I met the Academic Dean afterwards. I could see us living at this seminary and teaching here. Saturday we went to a seminar for ex-pats. It included the history of the Czech Republic, attitudes on the street, and problem solving. It was excellent. For example, we should not look at strangers, greet them, or speak to them. In the Czech Republic the only people who did that were informers. It is only permissable to acknowledge people on the street when we see them for the second time, and they are neighbors. This was hard for the southerners to take!

Friday evening 17 people from IICS met for dinner, prayer, and fellowship. Three families have been here a long time, and the other four have just arrived within the last month. There is an older couple from Hickory NC that has taken me under their wing, bless their hearts. We are now semi-skilled at using the tram, metro, and bus.

The weather continues to be sunny and warm, perfect for walking the streets.

Today I tutored a 6th grader at the International Christian School who is at a Grade 1 level in Math. All those Math manipulative exercises from Math Their Way started coming back!

2006-09-22T03:46:00.000-07:00

One Week

2006-09-21T05:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday, September 21. We have been here one week. Its amazing what we have learned in this short a time. We continue to use the two guidebooks to Prague that Donna Rietmann gave us. They are so valuable!! We also bought a map of Prague while in Seattle, and use that constantly.

Even though the washing machine and dryer are Whirlpool, and modern, I had to study the manuals to try to figure out how to run them. Also the toilets have two flushes, one that uses a lot of water, and one that doesn’t! We are getting in the habit of taking our shoes off at the door, and wearing house shoes. Almost everyone has a dog, so the sidewalks can be unhealthy!

Much of the culture shock for us is the same as if we were to move to Manchester or Portland, and give up having a car. Lots of walking, using bus, tram, and subway, finding a grocery store we can walk to and from, etc. City living! Compared to our home in New Hampshire where we get in the car without walking outside, it is culture shock!

Yesterday I spent the day at the International Christian School, grades 1-12. I will substitute teach there next Wednesday for the teaching principal who is going to an ACSI convention. She also asked if I would teach Tom Sawyer.

Last night four of us from IICS went out to a Czech restaurant. The food was delicious and we got to discuss crazy things like infant baptism, the Czech mind set about religion, etc. Two of the IICS people here graduated from Gordon College (’58 and ’60), one grew up in Everett MA, another got his doctorate at BU, another is from Eugene, Oregon.

Tuesday evening we had our first faculty meeting at UNYP. Most of the faculty are from the US. The university (University of New York in Prague) is affiliated with Empire State College in New York, so one of the administrators coordinates with ESC. The faculty meeting was similar to the many I attended in the past: a discussion of academic honesty and grade inflation (Is there anything new under the sun?) Afterwards we went to a café for wine and conversation. I ordered water. It didn’t taste like water, but the Czech faculty member sitting next to me told me that the Czechs pride themselves on their wonderful water.

So far so good.

The Wileys' Blog: Day 4

2006-09-19T03:12:00.000-07:00

The Wileys' Blog: Day 4

Day 4

2006-09-19T03:03:00.000-07:00

Monday we got our tickets for public transportation. This means bus, tram, train, and subway. We got 15 day passes and can go anywhere anytime on this pass. I visited the International Christian School and we talked about what I might teach. I walked about 4 miles!!!

We are here in Prague!

2006-09-16T05:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday, September 16. We made it! Thank you for your prayers and for thinking about us. We had a great trip, both having aisle seats, so we could get up and walk around anytime during the 7 hours. Jose sat next to a young man who managed to tell Jose his life story before we got off the ground in Boston! A perfect seatmate for him.

We got to Frankfurt and it was daylight. We had to go through security again, which was inconvenient, but everything went fine.

We were met at the airport by Vladimir, who figured out how to get all that luggage in his small car, and fit us as well!!

Our apartment is beautiful and roomy. Well furnished and immaculate.

We have had many glitches, constant problem solving, (will share those later) but everything is working out great.

The City of Prague has decided to show herself at her very finest with warm sunny weather.

We have both found our schools and introduced ourselves to the people we will be with.

I am writing this from an internet cafe in an English speaking Coffeehouse, and have just spent 9 crowns (45 Cents) to write this message. You are each in our thoughts and prayers.

Lori and Jose

The Day Before

2006-09-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

We survived the "day before."
1. When we called to confirm our flight (48 hours in advance), the automated recording said our flight left yesterday! Ouch!!! When we got to a real person, he explained (very nicely) that the flight is a daily one and each day the flight is the same number, but we are indeed booked for the flight today, Wednesday. (Lower blood pressure here.)
2. The United representative explained that our ticket names needed to match our passports. Ooops! Passports match birth certificates. So what about Jose (on his driver's license), and Lori (on my driver's license?!) It worked fine for domestic flights, but my passport name is Glorilyn and his is Lance. So we got that taken care of. Luckily, they could have charged $100 for a change. (Lower blood pressure here. Thank YOU for your prayers!!!!!)
3. When we got everything in our luggage, we had room to spare (surprise!) but each piece was overweight by 10 pounds. Ouch! Its those darn textbooks that do it. (Loralee, could you please speak to text book companies, thank you?!) Also my files. I had gone through every lecture and put in handouts used in previous classes. Paper is heavy!!! Also we took our printer/fax/copier and two laptops. We HOPE we will be ok at the airport. Lloyd will come with us and take back whatever is overweight, or maybe we'll see Aaron, our son-in-law, who is flying out of Boston 3 hours later than we are, and we can talk him into bringing us the excess?
4. Teri McCarthy, the IICS staff, who helped with my placement, called me to pray together yesterday. I feel spiritually ready, am sure we have forgotten something we wish we had taken, but we are ready to stay up all night tonight, arriving a little before midnight in Frankfurt, a 3 hour layover, then an hour to Prague! Our landlord has arranged for Vladimir to be there with a Wiley sign to meet us and take us to the apartment. Tomorrow morning in Prague!
5. Dad and I spent a couple of hours together yesterday. I'm going to miss him, and he won't even know I'm gone!!!

Two Days til Departure!

2006-09-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

We have suitcases covering every square foot of our house as we lay out what we plan to bring, and try to fit it all in our six pieces of luggage! What to bring and not bring, that is the question!

Apartment

2006-09-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

We met with the professor who is renting his apartment in Prague to us. He grew up in Connecticut so was home for his mother's 70th birthday celebration. We went to Hartford to meet him. He lives in Texas and teaches at Texas Tech. He gave us keys to the apartment, as well as a cell phone that works in Europe. He is going to arrange for us to be met at the airport and taken to the apartment. That is convenient! He answered many questions we had.
He takes 20 college students from his university to Prague each summer, and teaches a course at the University of New York in Prague. So he is well versed in answering questions from novices like us.
We are so blessed to have this arrangement!

Loralee and Aaron

2006-08-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

Our son-in-law, Aaron, is being sent by his place of employment to Germany to work on a project for a week or two in September. He plans to take the train and come see us in Prague. We would really like to have Loralee come also, but dates, times, destinations, and cost are still vague. Please pray about this possibility.

Keys and Phones

2006-08-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

Our "landlord" called and arranged for a hand off of keys and phones on September 8 in Connecticut. He will be there for his mother's birthday, so we will meet him and bring our list of questions, as well as rental checks for September, October, and November.

Luggage

2006-08-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

JC Pennys had a sale on luggage, 60% off, so we got out our measurements for:
1) personal item
2) carry on
3) luggage to be checked (2 pieces)

and, with the help of the sales clerk, measured luggage in order to get the most space for the least amount of money. They had luggage with spin rollers, which is a nice feature meant to keep us from forever tipping over. Now the trick will be to distribute the weight evenly so that we don't have to pay extra for going over 50 pounds, as I had to on my last two airflights. Its those files and books that cause the problem.

Deciding what to bring and what not to bring will present a challenge.

Jose's ticket

2006-08-19T04:33:00.000-07:00

Jose has his ticket for the same flight as mine! We both went through studentuniverse.com, which has excellent airfare for college students and faculty.

I have been going through the list of requirements for the International Institute for Christian Studies, and slowly checking off each item.

We have "open" passports, not listing any destination, and hope we can get into the Czech Republic without visas.

Thank you for your prayers. We can tell they are being answered.

Airline Tickets to Prague

2006-08-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

My ticket has come through! I will be leaving from Boston on Wednesday, September 13, on Lithuansa/United to go to Germany (8 hours of travel time), and then on to Prague. I ordered the ticket through studentuniverse.com, which finds good prices for college students and faculty. We had a few tense days because Student Universe requires two unalterable pieces to verify current faculty status. My department chair at the University of New York in Prague sent an e-mail that was rejected, so she re-submitted a faxed letter. However, the other piece of verification was suppose to be a pay stub (even though I have not yet begun teaching!) or a faculty id (which they do not produce). Fortunately she made a plea to them and they accepted it, so I have my ticket.

Lance (Jose) will be flying with me, and he is in the process of getting his two forms of verification. Hopefully he will pick them up on August 10 when he goes to Mass Art, or they will come in the mail.

Lloyd is going to fly later after we are settled and have decided what we want him to bring over for us. His teaching position is pending and will not be finalized until after September 25.

Thank you for your prayers. We are receiving notes and responses that are heart-warming. Your prayers are being answered!

May God be praised, Lori Wiley

2006-07-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

We have a place to live in Prague! Another professor who teaches at the University of New York in Prague during the summer and in Texas during the rest of the year, is leasing us his apartment, fully furnished! It is near the University, and about a mile from our son's Film School! He also has cell phones that work in Europe, and is giving them to us to use while there! We are so blessed!

Also there has been interest expressed by the Police Academy in Prague for Lloyd to teach there!

Things are moving along -- God be praised!

Prague, Czech Republic

2006-06-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

We are going to Prague in September! Our son, Lance (Jose) was accepted at PCFE Film School, one of 50 students from around the world! Lori will be teaching at the University of New York in Prague! So we really appreciate your prayers.

Right now the University is putting together Lori's work permit and visa. Please pray that they will come through in a timely manner.

We have bought a map of Prague and are looking it over.
We are also learning the money system: crowns.
We will have to buy cell phones when we go over there. Our cell phones will not work there.
We will probably communicate by computer!

God's Adventure

2005-08-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

When you turn your life over to God, it becomes A Great Adventure!
This photograph is of our 24-year-old daughter rock climbing in Bar Harbor, Maine, June 2005. When she sent us this photograph, I, like any other praying mother, wanted to drop to my knees. But to her it was an adventure: exciting, fun, scary, risky, dangerous, and challenging!!!
God is calling us to an adventure that is all of the above! We have been accepted to serve overseas with the International Institute for Christian Studies (www.iics.com), an organization that places Christian college professors in secular universities around the world. The professors teach their discipline and give students exposure to a Christian world view. My particular interest is Character Education (www.charactered.org), universal standards of right and wrong and promoting virtue, integrity, and character.
I have felt a call to work overseas for many years. The Great Commission of Jesus Christ shows that God expects us to reach out: "Go ye into all the world, to all nations, ...teaching them..."

If you look at this picture of our daughter, you will see that there are spotters down below. They are holding ropes connected to a harnass she is wearing. She could not climb this rock by herself, but has a team supporting her.
Are you willing to serve as our "spotters," to pray for us, and stay connected through this blog site? The students will need financial assistance in the form of books and supplies. Is your heart telling you to be a supporter or donor toward this ministry? Please respond! Lori Wiley

Picture post

2005-08-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

Loralee rock climbing

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